Mykola Kostomarov in the Portraits of Painter Mykola Ge: History, Contexts, Meanings

The purpose of the article is to compare the relations and biographies of Mykola Kostomarov (1817–1885) and Mykola Ge (1831–1894) in the various contexts of the historian's portrait creation (1870) and its author's repetition (1878). The research methodology is based on comparative and analytical strategies aimed at highlighting common and distinctive features in the life stories and creative practices of M. Kostomarov and M. Ge. Further to that, interdisciplinary strategies from art history and prosopography have been used to interpret the artistic image of M. Kostomarov in the paintings of M. Ge. The scientifi c novelty lies in revealing the peculiarities of communication between the two intellectuals of the imperial era, as well as the idealistic and humanistic basis of worldview shared by the historian and the artist. At the same time, the author traces the collisions related to the history of the creation of both portraits and their further existence as works of art and collectibles. The key milestones of M. Kostomarov's and M. Ge's biographies have been compared, in particular the periods when their life paths intersected. The situations in which their friendly relations developed have been analyzed and the reasons for their mutual sympathies have been explained. The history of the author's repetition of M. Kostomarov's portrait, which led to a confl ict between M. Ge and the collector, P. Tretyakov, has have been considered. The history of the circulation of the author's repetition of M. Kostomarov's portrait as an artwork in the Ukrainian cultural space has been highlighted. Conclusions. It is argued that both portraits of the historian by M. Ge are an important, and in many aspects a unique visual source for the construction of the prosopographic image of M. Kostomarov in the early 1870s. It is noted that the imperial era in many aspects blurred the aspirations and endeavors of both intellectuals who made a signifi cant contribution to Ukrainian science, culture and art of the 19th century. It has been emphasized that the diverse creative heritage of both intellectuals closely associated with Ukraine became the object of cultural appropriation by imperial and post-Soviet Russia.